New Control Modifier Type: Layers

[Munkwolf]

Currently we have modifiers and switches.

 

I would like to propose a third type, layers, that would function almost exactly like switches... except there can only be only active at a time. Tapping on an active layer key would toggle it off.

 

Background... I like mapping everything, and I've got a lot of buttons. The approach I use is having a 2x5 block of buttons on my side 80-key pads as 'instrument layers'. Like the top-left layer button on my right pad is for the countermeasures panel in the A-10. It's based on where the instruments are in the cockpit. Hold an instrument layer button down, then press a non-layer button to operate the controls on that instrument.

 

Modifiers work fine, but i was looking to avoid having to hold the layer button down while hitting control buttons. Too much finger contortion at times. So I tried switching the modifiers I use for the layers over to be switches. That led to confused moments over which one was active (do i need to toggle left win or right shift back off to get to blank slate?).

 

I've got it going now via MacroWorks for my X-keys, where on press of a layer button it releases the other layer buttons, and then a button to release all of them... but seems like it could be a useful approach to have natively supported in-game, thus this post. Hopefully it wouldn't require too much effort, either, since it's a relatively small twist off of existing functionality with the switch type of modifier.